By cable car you get so high that you can see the Madonnina, go to the discovery of fortresses and hermitages or sit at the table, listening to the sound of the waves. What to do and where to eat (at Hotel Al Porticciolo) one hour from Milan
Birthplace of two symbols of Italy, Renato Pozzetto and Richard Ginori, today Laveno it has lost the reputation of "city of ceramics" to become the destination of a trip out of town for the Lombards. The location is strategic: just over an hour's drive from Milan and with a landing stage in the city center from which continuous ferries ply the lake to Verbania on the other side and the Borromean islands.
Where to eat: the star with the menu for 35 euros
Like many towns on the lake, the tourist venues mix with those for the citizens (which have nothing special in the eyes of those who come from outside in search of typical dishes and good food), but in Laveno there is a place that combines excellent value for money and starry cuisine.
Sitting with the water a few steps away, hearing the sound of the waves, enjoying the coolness of the lake is one of the reasons that made the restaurant The table of the Hotel Il Porticciolo the favorite place to stop to eat in the area. Perched on the rock between the hills and the lake, the terrace where you can eat in the summer is covered and so close to the water that you are literally on it: a wonderful location. A fortune, and at the same time the cross of those who, in addition to the sight, want to offer refined cuisine, quality raw materials and adequate service. Those who come for the view return for the kitchen; often docking right at the marina from which the hotel takes its name.
There Bassetti family manages this hotel with love and professionalism, so much so that in 2017 it deserves a Michelin star. In the kitchen at the time there were only Roberto, born in 1982, and his father Giovanni, who together with his mother Elisabetta are divided between the living room and the kitchen. Son of art, a degree in Tourism Sciences at the Iulm University of Milan, he left for the kitchens of Davide Oldani first, of the Four Seasons in Milan, and then ended up in France at the Atelier de Joel Robuchon, 2 Michelin stars in Paris and then by Yannick Allenò and at the Mandarin Oriental Palace always in Paris. In 2012 he returned home bringing with him a good wealth of experiences, to be declined in the family restaurant. Not an easy challenge when you glide over the grandeur of French cuisine and you have to deal with it lake fish (but not just that) and international tourists. Two restaurants, The Osteria where to have lunch or dinner a full menu at 35 euros choosing from dishes such as fried prawns, ginger and paprika mayonnaise, wild herb oil; a classic such as Tagliolini with fine herbs and brandy prawns or a lavender fillet cooked on one side, sweet and sour sauce, spinach and champignons. The table instead, always overlooking the terrace, offers a research cuisine. As good and delicious as a cocktail of eighties prawns, its Sicilian red prawn crudo, shellfish paper and romesco sauce is super technical, for a comforting result: tartare shrimp body, fried head and legs, a shellfish card made drying a broth of scraps. A concentrate of flavor. Spicy iodine spaghetti, dill oil, horseradish snow or At sunset: lamb, green apple and pepper lacquer. After lunch, or for guests, you can rent the hotel motorboat to discover the lake or you can ask for one of the two pedal boats with which to ply the water under the sun, enjoying the natural beauty.
What to see: by cable car or along the lake
In Laveno, life flows by the lake, along via Labiena, full of shops, and around Piazza Fontana, the heart of the historic center, bordered by old railing houses, Art Nouveau buildings, gardens and the beautiful Villa Frua, now home to the town hall and the library. A few steps away, the Perabò Palace in Cerro preserves the portico in a beautiful cloister Civic Earthenware Collection, but for those who want to fill their eyes with beauty, the best way is the one towards heaven.
From the center of Laveno you start by cable car, better to say by cable car up to 1100 meters, almost on top of the top of the mount Sasso del Ferror. Return ticket for 10 euros, close in the small open or closed cabin, in 10 minutes you get to enjoy a grandiose and enchanting panorama of Lake Maggiore, the Alps, the Prealps, the Lombard lakes and the Po Valley. You can see everything: from the Duomo of Milan to Lake Mergozzo, passing through the Varesini Lakes, the Sacro Monte and Lake Maggiore with the Borromean islands. You sit for an aperitif, a lunch at the bar or restaurant with a panoramic view, you relax on the lawn and you can even stay overnight; however, from 7.30 p.m. you don't go down to the valley until the next morning. On weekends, hang gliding enthusiasts launch themselves from here to glide towards the ground.
Outside Porta Laveno
Ten minutes by car, in the historic center of Casalzuigno, thanks to FAI you can visit (with extraordinary openings to be verified) the sixteenth century Villa Della Porta Bozzolo. Always ten minutes away by car, theHermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso Ballaro di Leggiuno, a monastic complex overlooking one of the deepest points of the lake. In the fourteenth century it was inhabited by a community of Augustinian monks, then it changed hands for several orders until today it became a Benedictine community. Since 1970 the hermitage has been owned by the Province of Varese which, in recent years, has been bringing it back to its former glory as well as making it accessible to all visitors with an elevator hidden in the rock. The staircase of two hundred steps instead allows you to take a walk to a panoramic point overlooking the hermitage, on a terrace overlooking the lake; pity that Covid-19 is inexplicably closed to the public in favor of the lift only (for a fee). On the road to Milan, in Angera, there is instead the Rocca, part of the Borromeo route. You enter the medieval garden, walk through the rooms of the Doll and Toy Museum and then you reach the historic rooms with fourteenth century frescoes; and a deadly view, which was why this strategic position had been chosen for the construction of the fortress.
Typical products
Between the provinces of Milan and Varese, in Laveno both pork and savoy cassoeula and bruscitt (minced beef and horse meat) are typical – in addition to lake fish. At home you can instead bring back typical products such as Formaggella del Luinese, a semi-hard matured cheese, made with 100% goat's whole and raw milk, Salame Prealpino Varesino and Varesino Honey, produced by a consortium of 36 producers of the territory.
This recipe has already been read 189 times!